A Novel Pandemic: Quarantine, Evacuation, and Back Again

This novel pandemic has brought out the best and the worst in many social actors. We have seen evidence of cooperative behaviour by members of the public and selfless behaviour among front line workers. We have also seen partisan bickering and blame laying, as well as protest and civil disobedience. This paper explores the legislative, regulatory, communication, and procurement powers of public policy practitioners. The data deal with cooperative behaviour, conflicting policies, and research into human reaction to emergencies. This pandemic was chosen as a catalyst to study a range of issues because an international risk emergency brings policy and administrative matters into sharp relief. The need is protracted, and so are the lessons. The lessons include a gender and political perspective on preparing for an emergency, public communication during a protracted risk event, and asymmetrical approaches to emergency preparedness and response. A conclusion is that state actors in the broad sense of government have not prepared adequately to manage risks before and during emergencies.